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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

On Saturday, October 24, “the gong lady” from Wichita, deBorah Gray, will offer a gong bath at the Cosmosphere. She uses the gongs in her massage therapy business and travels with them only a couple of times a year. This is the first time a gong bath has been offered in Hutchinson. It will be from 4-6 p.m. Arrive by 3:30 for the gong bath.

She will be bringing a dozen gongs, ranging in size from 36 inches to 22 inches. Each gong is embellished with the glyph of the planet who’s orbital frequency it represents. They are played by being lightly touched with a felt hammer.

The gongs are from Germany, and tuned to planetary frequencies. She will play for more than an hour. You’ll be able to hear – and feel – the vibrations as they build on each other. You’re invited to bring something to lie on, a pillow, and a blanket for warmth, and experience a gong bath.

In some cultures, gongs were an essential part of daily living, and are still used in certain areas. The making of gongs was veiled in secrecy. The Gong Bath is used throughout Europe as a form of meditation to help the mind focus and relax. Come enjoy this unique experience for yourself at the Cosmosphere!

The cost is $25 per person and space is limited. Contact the Cosmosphere at 620-662-2305 to reserve your spot.

Former SR-71 pilot, "Buz" Carpenter, who flew the “Blackbird” in the Cosmosphere’s lobby, spoke to packed crowds on September 5 and 6. He did three public presentations, visiting with people and signing autographs afterwards. He also provided a training for Cosmosphere volunteers.

More than 500 people came to hear his stories about the famous plane. He shared photographs and gave people an insider’s perspective on the “Blackbird.”

Only 32 Blackbirds were ever made, and they were in service from 1964-1998. Despite many attempts to shoot them down, none of the planes were lost due to enemy fire. However, 12 of them were destroyed in accidents. The plane was designed to be one of the first planes not detectable by radar. Unfortunately, radar technology was advancing at a rate that outpaced that particular design feature.

The great defensive ability of the plane was its high speed and altitude. Standard evasive action was just to accelerate, which made it almost invulnerable to the attack technologies of the time. The top speed of the plane was mach 3.3 (2,200 miles/hour or 36 miles/minute). In 1990, during a speed test, an SR-71 flew from LA to Dulles Airport in 64 minutes. They flew faster than a bullet from a standard 30.06 hunting rifle.

The SR-71 was American's first "stealth" plane, and was the last one designed with a slide rule. At cruising speeds, the aircraft skin reached average temperatures of about 600F. This caused the aircraft to grow 3-4 inches in length and 1-2 inches in width. The engine area was 3400F, with the coolest parts of the plane being about 450F. The 2.0 inch thick laminated quartz glass pilot window was 620F.

Pilots wore pressure suits derived from the Gemini designs through the mid 70s. The replacement pressure suit in the late 70s served as the initial Space Shuttle suits for test flights.

The Blackbird generally leveled off around 75,000 feet, and as fuel burned off would climb up around 82-85,000 feet. At 80,000 feet, you can see the curvature of the Earth about 350 miles in all directions.

Carpenter accrued 777 hours flying SR-71 planes. He flew Blackbirds as an aircraft commander and later as an instructor pilot, with over 60 operational missions. He also flew in the C-141, RF-4C, and T-38 planes, flying 150 combat hours in Vietnam. He worked in the Pentagon and served as Wing commander at Ramstein Air Base in German during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

He retired as a Colonel after serving as the 2nd Air Force Vice Commander, responsible for all the USAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance flying assets. He is currently a docent for the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Udvar Hazy Center.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is participating in the fifth annual Smithsonian Museum Day on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Visitors with a Smithsonian pass will be admitted free to the museum that day. The Cosmosphere is the only Smithsonian-affiliated museum in Kansas.

A celebration of culture, learning and the dissemination of knowledge, Museum Day reflects the spirit of Smithsonian magazine, and emulates the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, DC-based properties. Doors will be open free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readersand smithsonian.com visitors at museums and cultural institutions nationwide.

Cosmosphere President and CEO, Chris Orwoll, says, "The Cosmosphere has been proud to work closely with the Smithsonian Institution and its National Air and Space Museum for over two decades now. This year, as we do every year, we look forward to welcoming participants in Museum Day to the Cosmosphere. This is a great event that encourages people all over the country to visit their local museums and appreciate our rich cultural heritage."

Last year, about 200,000 people attended Museum Day, with all 50 states plus Puerto Rico represented by over 900 participating museums, including 84 Smithsonian affiliate museums. This year, the magazine expects to attract over 1,000 museums. Twenty-five museums in Kansas have already agreed to participate.

Visitors can download Museum Day Admission cards at www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Attendees must present the Museum Day Admission Card to gain free entry to participating institutions. Each card provides museum access for two people, and one admission card is permitted per household. Listings and links to participating museums can also be found at the link above.

Founded in 1970 with the launch of Smithsonian magazine, Smithsonian media—comprising Smithsonian magazine, Air & Space, goSmithsonian, Smithsonian Publishing Digital Network, Smithsonian Books and advertising for Smithsonian Channel—allows the intellectually curious to indulge and engage their passions for history, the arts, science, the natural world, culture and travel. Smithsonian Media's flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, has a circulation of more than two million. This multimedia network is also affiliated with the world's most visited museum and research complexes at the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, visit www.smithsonian.com, and www.gosmithsonian.com.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patrons' knowledge of space exploration. Educating people from around the globe, the Cosmosphere boasts the Hall of Space museum, one of the most significant collections of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world; the Justice Planetarium, a dome-shaped classroom where attendees learn about astronomy; Dr. Goddard's Lab, a live demonstration of early rocket technology; the Carey IMAX® Dome Theater, the 12th IMAX® theater built in the world; and summer astronaut training camps. For more information visit www.cosmo.org.

Monday, September 14, 2009

"Forces of Nature" is playing in the Cosmosphere's Carey IMAX® Dome Theater. The movie, which brings the power of earthquakes, volcanoes and tornadoes to the giant screen, took ten years to film. It is showing every day at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., with additional showings at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Also showing in the Carey IMAX® Dome Theater is "Greece: Secrets of the Past."

"Forces of Nature" is narrated by Kevin Bacon, and captures the volatility of natural disasters on Earth, while showcasing three scientists who study them. Their hope is to understand the origins and behaviors of these events to improve our odds of surviving them.

Director George Casey said, "Mother Nature is the most temperamental screen diva a director can work with, and our team was at her mercy. Getting a tornado on film – let alone on 70 mm film – is nearly impossible. It's sort of the 'holy grail' of large-format filmmaking. In the end we got several twisters on camera, as well as spectacular eruptions of the volcano on Montserrat Island. Being in the right place at the right time was critical, and it is also why a project like this was more than ten years in the making. You simply can't turn to a storm and yell, 'And… action!' and get the shot you want."

Some of these natural phenomena are more common than we like to think, and more destructive than we realize. For example, there are nearly a half-million earthquakes each year, and only four states – Florida, Iowa, North Dakota and Wisconsin – had no detectable earthquakes between 1975 and 1995. Alaska is the most seismically active state overall. The largest quake in recorded history shook Chile in 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale.

The most destructive tornado on record was in 1925. It went through three U.S. states, destroying four towns and taking 695 lives. The Hallam, Neb., tornado of May 22, 2004 peaked at a width of 2 ½ miles, making it the widest ever recorded. Despite better storm warnings, tornadoes still kill an average of 60 people a year in the United States.

Alaska was the site of the largest volcanic eruption in modern times. In June of 1912, at Novarupta, 3.6 cubic miles of magma exploded from the earth – 30 times the molten material that erupted from Mount St. Helens in 1980.

"Forces of Nature" and "Greece: Secrets of the Past" are both showing each day at the Cosmosphere. Call 800-397-0330 for show times or check www.cosmo.org.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patrons' knowledge of space exploration. Educating people from around the globe, the Cosmosphere boasts the Hall of Space museum, one of the most significant collections of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world; the Justice Planetarium, a dome-shaped classroom where attendees learn about astronomy; Dr. Goddard's Lab, a live demonstration of early rocket technology; the Carey IMAX® Dome Theater, the 12th IMAX® theater built in the world; and summer astronaut training camps. For more information visit www.cosmo.org.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Hello, this is Demetree Gaines at the Cosmosphere. Since I have taken over the duties of the teacher workshops hear at the Cosmosphere I have been asked by many teachers about Mythology and when could they expect a workshop about it. I didn't feel like I knew enough about mythology to create a full workshop about the subject, so I enlisted the help of my office mate and local Astronomy expert, Brad Nuest. Together we have come up with a workshop so huge, so new, so fresh and exciting that we had to make it an overnight.

For the first time at the Cosmosphere, a teacher workshop will be an overnight adventure. We will offer continuing education credit from Friends and Emporia Universities, classroom materials, power points and activities that will keep us busy all night.

Having this workshop in the evening gives us a chance to do things that we normally don't have time for during a teacher workshop. One thing I'm excited about is the Make-it & Take-it activity. We will make a rocket launcher to go along with paper rockets. Paper rockets are really popular and the NASA rocket guide has wonderful lesson plans for them. I wish I could be in the classroom when you guys unveil some these things, because it is going to be awesome.

The second activity that I just have to mention is the Star Observation. We do these during our camps but this is the first time we've done it during a teacher's workshop. With the use of a telescope we will focus on the Moon, Jupiter and the constellations Sagittarius and Capricorn, which is a nice segue into Astronomy and Astrology, the other part of the workshop.

Because it's an overnight you will need to bring all the things that you need to function. When you sign-up you will get a list of things that you should and can bring. I will provide some additional evening activities because not everyone will be ready to bed down after the activities are done for the day. But for those of you who do want to rest there will be a separate area, so you can sleep while the other trouble makers have their run of the building.

I could fill up pages of why you should come and bring a friend. However, if you need one more, here it is. Were taking a completely different approach this time, normally we have pizza for dinner or order something from somewhere else. But this time you are getting a home cooked meal, made from scratch with love. And that's all I have to say about that.

So if you are interested, come and check it out. You can contact Laurie Given here at the Cosmosphere to register. (620-662-2305 ext. 323) Participants must register before or by September 28You will not be disappointed. Come and discover how fun our workshops can be.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Visitors to the Cosmosphere are greeted by an SR-71 "Blackbird" hanging overhead in the lobby. On September 5 and 6, former SR-71 pilot, "Buz" Carpenter will be at the Cosmosphere to talk about the famous plane. Carpenter flew the Blackbird now housed at the Cosmosphere.

On Saturday, September 5 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sunday, September 6 at 2 p.m., Carpenter will offer a presentation that's free and open to the public, during which he will discuss the Blackbird and his experiences as a pilot. After Sunday's presentation at the Cosmosphere, Carpenter will act as docent, stationing himself near the SR-71 to talk with people about the plane and its features.

Carpenter accrued 777 hours flying SR-71 planes, including 961, which resides at the Cosmosphere. He flew Blackbirds as an aircraft commander and later as an instructor pilot, with over 60 operational missions. He also flew in the C-141, RF-4C, and T-38 planes, flying 150 combat hours in Vietnam. He worked in the Pentagon and served as Wing commander at Ramstein Air Base in German during OperationsDesert Shield and Desert Storm.

He retired as a Colonel after serving as the 2nd Air Force Vice Commander, responsible for all the USAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance flying assets. He is currently a docent for the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.

Only 32 Blackbirds were ever made, and they were in service from 1964-1998. Despite over 4,000 attempts to shoot them down, none of the planes were lost due to enemy fire. However, 12 of them were destroyed in accidents.

The plane was designed to be one of the first planes not detectable by radar. Unfortunately, radar technology was advancing at a rate that outpaced that particular design feature.

The great defensive ability of the plane was its high speed and altitude. Standard evasive action was just to accelerate, which made it almost invulnerable to the attack technologies of the time.

The top speed of the plane was mach 3.3 (2,200 miles/hour or 26 miles/minute). In 1990, during a speed test, an SR-71 flew from LA to Dulles Airport in 64 minutes. They flew faster than a bullet from a standard 30.06 hunting rifle.

The SR-71 was American's first "stealth" plane, and was the last one designed with a slide rule. At cruising speeds, the aircraft skin reached average temperatures of about 600F. This caused the aircraft to grow 3-4 inches in length and 1-2 inches in width. The engine area was 3200F, with the coolest parts of the plane being about 450F. The 2.5 inch thick laminated quartz glass pilot window was 620F.

Pilots wore pressure suits derived from the Gemini designs through the mid 70s. The replacement pressure suit in the late 70s served as the initial Space Shuttle suits for test flights.

The Blackbird generally leveled off around 75,000 feet, and as fuel burned off would climb up around 82-85,000 feet. At 80,000 feet, you can see the curvature of the Earth about 500 miles in all directions.

Three of the astronauts from the Shuttle Discovery's maiden voyage were at the Cosmosphere on Saturday, Aug. 22, to commemorate its 25 year anniversary.

Charlie Walker, Hank Hartsfield and Steve Hawley spoke to a large group about the mission and the craft. They shared stories of what was happening behind the scenes too, including how the mission patch was designed.

After the speech they signed autographs and met the public before attending a private reception for premium members only.